16 people believed dead after explosion at Tennessee plant, sheriff says

Sixteen people are believed to have died in a powerful blast at an explosives plant in Tennessee, officials said Saturday, as crews continue to recover remains and carefully clear the site.

Initially there were 18 people said to be unaccounted for after Friday morning's explosion at an Accurate Energetic Systems facility that processes ammunition and explosives.

Two of those people were determined to have not been at the facility, which is located near the city of McEwen, at the time of the explosion, officials said. The error was because their vehicles and personal items were found after the explosion, Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis said.

Davis said at a Saturday evening news conference that more than 300 people have been through the site.

"At this time, I can tell you that we have not located any survivors. And we are making the assumption that all are deceased," he said.

The names of those believed dead have not been released.

"As of right now we have contacted all 16, and we’ll call them victims, our loved ones, families that we feel was part of this tragedy," Davis said. "It saddens me. I’m very thankful that we have located the other two."

He said the cause of the blast is still under investigation.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives is on the scene and investigating.

The blast around 7:45 a.m. Friday "encompassed one whole building," Davis said.

Satellite images from the scene of the blast show nothing remaining of the facility other than scattered debris.

"As we get into this, we find it even more devastating than what we thought initially," Davis said earlier Saturday.

Special Agent Guy McCormick with the ATF said there are certified explosives specialists and bomb technicians on the scene to help make the area safe.

“In a situation like this, what we find is that when these explosives are subject to the event that took place — which is heat, the explosion being thrown, pressure — they can change, and they can become different than how we know them to act,” McCormick said on Saturday.

On Friday evening, a group of people gathered nearby in Centerville to hold a vigil after hearing about the blast. Attendees held candles and prayed.

Felicity Howell, a nurse at Hickman County Middle School, was in her kitchen on Friday morning when she heard the explosion.

"There was a huge boom and my house shook very, like, hard," she said. "It honestly felt like a vehicle drove through our house. That’s what I thought whenever it happened. But then we found out it was the explosion that was about 10 miles down the road.”

In a statement, Accurate Energetic Systems on Friday extended thoughts and prayers to affected families, employees and community members. The privately owned facility, which processes ammunition and explosives, did not share any additional details on the explosion.

The facility established a family assistance center to provide support for those affected by the incident, according to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA).

There is no known threat to the public as a result of the blast, TEMA said. The agency is asking the public to avoid the area so emergency personnel can do their work “safely and efficiently.”

“Residents who locate debris that may have originated from the explosion are asked to contact their local sheriff’s office,” TEMA said. “Trained personnel will respond to ensure the safe handling and collection of any debris.”

As the investigation continues there will be contained detonations at the site "to safely dispose of unstable or hazardous materials," according to the Humphreys County Emergency Management Agency.

The FBI is also assisting with the investigation.